Oblivion
by KathyBoPeep
Summary: Jane catches a case that hits a little too close to home while Maura's on vacation. Will they both realize how much they need each other, personally and professionally, during this time of need?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys. I had this story up for a brief period, but pulled it down for more tweaking. Plus, ffnet was being FANTASTIC at the time. So, here's Oblivion! It's finished(roughly 11 chapters)and just needs to make it past the (wonderful)beta. :p So, reviews are welcomed, but they more than likely won't affect the plot. Thanks again! :D**

_"__You fool!"_

_Maura looked down at her hands, covered in blood._

_Jane's blood._

_"__You stupid, stupid fool!" She was confused at first. Then she realized that she wasn't being scolded by someone else, she was yelling at herself while she knelt over the body of her best friend._

_Alone. All alone._

_Not the kind that she had grown up with: halfhearted 'I love yous' and closed bedroom doors. No, this solitude was much worse because this time...this time she knew what she was leaving behind. To love and be loved._

_"__Jane," she called out and squeezed her hands closed. She couldn't see this anymore. It was too red, too bright._

"Jane!" Maura shot up in bed. The sheets were pooled around her knees and her quilt was on the floor. She looked over to Jane's side of the bed and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Black hair spilled over the pillow, and once her breathing had returned to normal, she could hear faint snores coming from the detective.

_You must have woken yourself up. You've never experienced somniloquy before. Perhaps this is just an isolated incident. Look. She's right there. Focus on her breathing. There's no blood, and you're in bed. One premeditated murder, two premeditated murder, three…._

Blinking, she turned and whispered Jane's name. Jo Friday looked up from the end of the bed.

No response.

"Jane," she tried again, this time with a nudge. Residual panic still coursed through her. The lack of response only adding to her anxiety. The sleeping detective grunted and rolled away, taking her pillow and stuffing it over her ears. A familiar buzz sounded from the table but even this was not enough to wake the stubborn woman.

Finally, after another whisper and a pinch to her underarm, Jane huffed and rolled back over. After years of sharing a room with two _very _loud brothers, she had developed quite the aversion to noise. She called out in surprise when she felt someone invade her personal space. Slowly, as she did not want to fully wake up, Jane cracked an eye open only to see Maura's...accessories shoved quite literally into her face.

"You're suffa'catin me," she whined, trying half-assedly to push the blonde back on to her side of the bed.

Maura rolled her eyes, and swiped the phone off of the table. However, when she tried to maneuver back into her warm spot, the hand that had been holding her weight fell slack, and she landed right on top of a sleeping Jane. Quickly, Maura moved back onto her side of the bed, shielding her ferocious blush with her hand and hoping that her friend wouldn't want to talk about what had just happened.

Now _very_ awake, Jane rolled over to see that Maura had one hand over her eyes, while the other was holding the phone out for her to take. A missed call from Korsak rolled across the too-bright-for-midnight screen.

Before the drowsy detective could make a grab for it, the device lit up with another incoming call from her former partner. Grumbling, Jane took the phone, unlocked it, (after three tries), and answered.

"'zzoli."

While Korsak briefed her, she stretched and got up with a frown_. _Jane looked back down at the big bed, with little Maura huddled in the middle. She trapped her phone against her shoulder and bent down to toss her discarded blankets on her best friend. The breeze that blew through the cracked window, made Jane's sleep shirt lift, letting out all of her warmth.

"Bye, Jane." the light, sleepy voice sang from the bed.

Korsak's one-sided conversation stopped for a moment, and Jane was quick to end the call. Maura had yet to complain, but Jane knew that it was keeping her up. She placed a warm hand on Maura's thigh and rubbed it a few times.

"Text me the address," she whispered.

When they hung up, she was cold and awake. Jane groaned and sauntered to her pile of clothes in the corner. She looked at the nicely folded stack and smiled. That was definitely not how she had left them earlier.

Maura was momentarily puzzled by the fact that she had not also been called, until she realized that she was off today and the next three days. She wanted to imagine what could happen to her morgue in that time span, but doing that would release too much cortisol from her adrenal gland, and prevent her from going back to sleep. So, the doctor let her mind wander far away from thoughts of ruined DNA samples and a chair with foreign imprints.

Jane had stayed over after their dinner and drinks, which was becoming the norm. Since her miscarriage, the normally lively detective had been sullen and withdrawn. The rest of the Rizzoli clan had stepped back, giving her time to heal. It had been weeks now and she barely spoke to anyone. But, without fail, every evening after work would end with a glass of wine next to a fresh beer on Maura's living room table.

These past few weeks had been hard on them all, especially Jane. She'd lost a partner and a child. To make matters worse, the father of said child seemed unwilling to talk to anyone at all, leaving Jane vulnerable and single. She had seemed to take it in stride and threw herself haphazardly into her work. The more the world seemed to pile on Jane Rizzoli, the more she stubbornly fought back. That was one of the reasons that Maura was worried. Eventually it would be too much for her, and it would break the doctor's heart to have to pick up the pieces when the dust settled.

The bedside clock showed that it was just after midnight; they'd only been asleep for a few hours. She pulled out the band keeping her hair up, and quickly tied it up once more. She rolled over and grabbed the pillow from across the bed, pulling it into her chest. She inhaled her best friend's scent and tried to forget the images of a dying Jane Rizzoli as she fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi! I'm going to try and post on Mondays. How's that sound? :D **

"What do we have?" Jane swayed back and forth on the balls of her feet, partially from the wake-up call at midnight but also from the extra large coffee she bought on the way.

The scene looked tame on the outside: two-story brick house with white shutters. _It's even got a freakin' picket fence. Did the wife burn dinner? Shit._

Korsak looked haunted and Jane felt her nerves spike. After years of experience with the seasoned sergeant, she trusted his judgment as well as she trusted her own. If he thought it was bad, it was bad.

"Kids...four of them.."

She grimaced.

"Great," Jane whispered. "Who called 9-1-1?"

"Call came from here, apparently. You gonna be…?"

"I'll be fine. Any details yet?" She avoided his question.

He exhaled slowly and turned towards the door of the house. "Come on, I'll show you."

Jane followed him into the house and was immediately assaulted by the unpleasant odor of burning plastic. It wasn't heavy, but it was recognizable nonetheless. Based upon the clean and tidy appearance of the living area, and the amount of breakables placed neatly around, it didn't look like children lived there.

"Where's Dr. Isles?" Korsak motioned for Jane to follow him.

"Off. She was supposed to go up to Maine for the weekend, but those plans changed." She remembered how disappointed Maura had been to hear that the annual CME's conference had been postponed. After endless prodding from both Jane and Angela, she'd taken the days as a impromptu vacation

"Would she want in on this one? Or is she enjoying her free time?"

"No, I think she needs this break. She's kind of been bearing the brunt of my family's emotional drama for too long. I think it's starting to wear on her," Jane admitted, slightly embarrassed "Did you know that she's worked at least 350 days of the last calendar year? I didn't until I heard Chang talking to Frankie."

"Sounds like someone else I know." Korsak's expression was neutral.

They reached the stairs leading to the basement and, after a quick nod of 'all clear' from the CSRU tech, Korsak led them down. At the last step, the sergeant turned to Jane.

"You ready for this?"

"Yeah."

With a curt nod, he stepped aside. Jane immediately raised a hand to her nose. Years of brutal crime scenes had hardened her stomach, but occasionally one got to her.

"Four children. They all look under 10, but we need to wait for Pike to be sure. Scene seems clean, no sign of struggle. I'm guessing poisoning."

She knew she should be paying attention, but her focus was on the four tiny bodies lying on a dirty mattress in front of her. They looked so peaceful, like they were simply sleeping. The middle two were sprawled out on a mattress, eerily similar to Jane and her siblings at that age. _They look so content._

"I knew it. It's too soon. Call Frankie in and you go home." His tone was strict but his eyes were kind.

"No. Vince, I've...got this one." Jane slowly knelt down next to the mattress. She'd learned early on how to detach from murder victims, but this was the first case with children since the miscarriage. Before she could stop herself, Jane reached down and brushed a lock of hair from the nearest child's forehead. She wasn't a religious woman, but she prayed these children had gone peacefully.

"Okay."

"Any sign of the parents? Who called it in?" Jane pointed upstairs. "I mean, the place looks too clean, but maybe they're neat freaks?" Memories of Maura walking around her kitchen in crime scene booties and a hazmat suit surfaced. _That's the last time any of us fed Jo fresh buttercream frosting. _

Korsak shrugged and shook his head. "Nope, not a trace. House is empty. The call came in, but there was no audio. Uniform found them right after midnight. I don't think they lived here."

"What makes you think that?"

"There's nothing here, and I mean nothing. No clothes, shoes, books, keys, or anything personal in this house. I had Nina run the address. Jane, no one's lived here _legally_ since 2011."

Jane threw her hands up in frustration. "Who owns it? Someone has to!"

"Ms. Goldie Husigea, rest her soul, lived in this house for 65 years. She died of a heart attack right before Thanksgiving of '09."

"But you said that-"

"Her son, however," Korsak shot her a look, "lived here until 2011. That's when the house finally foreclosed. It's been on the HUD list since. I had Nina look up the son, too: he's been living in Texas with relatives and hasn't been back since."

"Can he prove that?" Jane challenged.

"Can't get anything solid until morning. It's too late to call now, but his license was revoked last year, so that would hinder his ability to go anywhere."

"What did he do?" It was too early to be grasping at straws.

"Nothing. He had Simple Partial Epilepsy. I'll have Nina check it out, but my guess is that he moved to Texas because Massachusetts law is stricter about driving. "You just have to go six months symptom-free to be able to drive legally in Texas."

"How do you know that?"

Korsak rolled his eyes. "First wife had Petit Mal seizures, but still couldn't drive. I put 60k on my car that year."

Jane cocked an eyebrow and kept going. "But, this house looks very lived in. There's a freaking Precious Moments book open on the kitchen counter. _Someone_ was living here _recently_." She gave an exasperated sigh and pulled off her latex gloves. "Okay, are you good here? I think Pike's on his way, and I do _not _want to deal with him this early in the morning."

"I'm good. Wanna swing by Taco Bell? They started serving breakfast!" He seemed a little too excited at this new development.

"No, I'm going to stop back at Maura's house before I meet you there. I need a shower."

For a moment, Vince seemed to ponder something. The corners of his mouth turned up and he chuckled. "Ok. There's not much we can do until everything opens, anyway. He waved her off in a good-natured way. "Plus, you look like shit. Go catch up on your beauty sleep."

Jane slowly shook her head and smiled at the ground. "You sure?"

"Yeah, just don't tell Frankie. I promised him that we'd go get waffle tacos together. But, I'm hungry now."

She just nodded, raised a hand in concession and headed back up the stairs. _Maybe Maura will be awake. She knows that place on your neck to rub so you'll pass the fuck out. _


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi guys! Sorry about the delay. We've been having blizzards and my internet was down for almost a week!**

Maura flinched when cold hands touched her. She shot up in bed and grabbed the hands in front of her face. After years of serial killers and murderous boyfriends, the doctor's nerves were on high alert. The wrists that she grabbed managed to maneuver out of her grasp, and they fell down on top on her. The motion of being pinned down was never something she particularly enjoyed. But these, more than ever, they were not welcomed.

_...Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you. Nah. Rape you? Maybe…. _

_...Not even the genius Dr. Isles could keep up with me…_

_...I'm dying. I think I want to take you and Dr. Isles with me…_

_...I was going to honor you, just like mother - who gave me life…_

A strangled noise came from the Maura, causing Jane to jump off in fright. She screwed her eyes shut in pain as she pawed at the scar on her neck. Jane rolled off of her and landed on the bed. Maura jumped slightly when lips touched her ear.

"Hey," Jane whispered, "It's ok. You just stole my pillow and I wanted it back."

_Jane. It's just Jane. _

Maura flushed, her heartbeat pounding in her ears. She took deep calming breaths, trying to dispel the residual panic. _You're okay, you're okay. _Warm hands rubbed her shoulders and the raspy voice she'd grown to love murmured words of comfort. After a few tense moments, Jane's toes made contact with Maura's leg, making her blush for an entirely different reason. "Good Lord, you're freezing!" She tossed the aforementioned pillow to Jane and returned to her side of the bed, cringing at the cold sheets. She hadn't meant to fall asleep on that side, but she always seemed to gravitate there. She looked up at Jane, who was busy undressing.

_She really is quite the specimen. Her children __will __be so beautiful. _

Suddenly, the detective turned and saw Maura gazing at her. She blushed and shook her head, unused to being caught. "False alarm? You're usually not back from a scene that quickly."

"Nah. Tough one, you'll see it when you come back. Korsak sent me home til 8, said I looked like shit."

"You do not look like feces, I promise you."

A sharp laugh burst from Jane and she took a moment to gather herself. Her case of the giggles spread to Maura, and soon they were both out of breath from laughing at the terrible joke. Jane put her pajamas on, to her best friend's chagrin, and slipped under the sheets. Maura burrowed deeper into the duvet, unable to find a warm spot. After a moment, Jane explained her vague answer from earlier.

"Uh, there was a scene with kids. I just wasn't expecting that."_. _

"Does one ever expect a murder?" Maura's muffled voice came from the blanket.

"Four kids, under 10. Poisoned. "

"Did Pike confirm that?" Maura chided lightly. She never missed an opportunity to scold Jane, even in jest. It was why their bond was so strong. They certainly had been through their fair share of trials and tribulations.

"No, he didn't. But, it feels like it. Korsak thought so, too. Hey...thanks for makin' me laugh, I needed that."

Maura smiled with her eyes closed. "You're welcome. Now go to sleep."

"Hey, Maura?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks for keeping my side of the bed warm."

"Well, technically speaking, it is all _my bed._ But you're welcome. Unfortunately, it's left 'my' side ice cold."

"Mau-ra," Jane grunted. "Just come over here, I'm not going to make you freeze to death over there." Jane scooted her torso closer to the edge of the mattress, making a little pocket for the blonde to nestle herself into.

"Actually, the temperature in here is roughly sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit, significantly higher than the freezing point for-" The factual spew was interrupted by a quiet snore. Jane had fallen asleep, mouth open and wild hair splayed over both pillows. Maura couldn't help but smile softly at the picture her friend created. She rolled to her side and easily fit into the body next to her. With a pleasant sigh, she closed her eyes and tried, for the third time that night, to fall asleep.

…

...

"So what are you going to do today?" Jane asked in between bites of fried egg.

"I'm not sure yet. It's been quite a while since I've had so much free time. Perhaps a nice jog?" Maura slowly sipped her coffee. "Maybe some beach yoga or a movie?"

"Only you would go running on your vacation." Jane rolled her eyes. "Plus, it's like fifty degrees out. And, you hate theater butter."

"It's processed margarine, Jane. It's not good for the body, plus they bleach it. It's actually gray," Maura said with a shudder, as she buttered two pieces of toast and set them in front of Jane.

"Okay, fine. Thanks for saving my life with butter, Dr. Isles," the detective conceded. "What time is it?"

She shook her head in amusement. "You have immaculate vision, Jane. I don't know why you insist I check for you."

Grumbling something unintelligible, Jane stuffed the toast into her mouth and stood quickly. Hands grabbed her keys off the wall hook and, with a quick wave goodbye, she was out the door.

Maura smiled at the dopey detective. No matter how tough or brash she acted on the streets, Jane Rizzoli would always be a lanky, adorable creature in her eyes. Not many were privileged enough to witness the side of her that Maura was privy to. So, she was grateful for the moments like this that they shared; it kept them both rooted. So much had happened to them and each and every time they came out ahead.

If you had told a younger Maura that she would be where she was today, her reaction would have been to ask if you were ill. Here she was, with a makeshift family that loved her, a house full of love and life, and a working relationship with those around her. It wasn't a 5.0 GPA in high school, four years of medical school at the top of her class, seven years on rotation at some of the best hospitals in the country, or scoring a perfect on the American Board of Pathology exam, that made her who she was today. It was simply being happy, healthy, and loved. Granted, the years of experience had helped shape her adult life, but it wasn't until she'd met the Rizzoli clan, that she'd truly lived.


End file.
